The Nassau County (NY) Police Department’s revamped use-of-force policy urges officers to use de-escalation methods rather than physical force, expands and tracks the incidents involving physical force reviewed by top brass and limits the use of the controversial chokehold.
The policy tweaks come about two years after the department embarked on the first major overhaul of its use-of-force policy in more than three decades in the wake of a pair of high-profile shootings involving Nassau officers.
The new guidelines, set to take effect July 8, include changes to the scope of the department’s Deadly Force Review Board, which was created in 2014 and designed to review all police-involved shootings and other incidents where deadly force was used.
Now, the review board will have the option of examining incidents in which any force — as simple as when someone is charged with resisting arrest to a suspect suffering broken bones during an encounter with cops — was used by a police officer.
Additionally, the new guidelines mandate the creation of a written report anytime an officer uses physical force, allowing the department to track the numbers and look for trends and trouble spots that would require retraining and discipline, officials said.
Nassau acting Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter said the changes to the policy reflect a national evolution in law enforcement emphasizing transparency and the importance of community trust.
The changes mirror guidelines set forth by the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit think tank, Police Executive Research Forum, or PERF, which has advised the police department on ethics reforms as part of a three-year, $675,000 contract with the county.
